scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Evolution of Land-Use and Ecosystem Services Valuation in the Belt and Road Initiative

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6583
Author(s):  
Qiting Zuo ◽  
Xing Li ◽  
Lingang Hao ◽  
Minghui Hao

Land-use changes can significantly affect both the ecosystem services value (ESV) and ecosystem functions. Estimating the impacts of land-use changes in ESV in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is indispensable to provide public awareness about the status of ESV, and to help in policy-making processes. To understand the spatiotemporal evolution of land-use its impact on ESV in the BRI, this study investigated the main water-resource areas of BRI. Using GLCNMO data (2003, 2008, 2013), the land-use dynamic degree, comprehensive index of land-use degree, land-use transfer matrix, and method of ESV valuation were adopted to analyze the changes in land-use and ESV. The results showed that forest and cropland area increased markedly between 2003 and 2013, whereas grassland and shrubland area notably decreased. Forest, shrubland, grassland, cropland, and bare land occupied a relatively large proportion and changed frequently. The total ESV of the study area has increased from US $74.98 million in 2003 to US $82.12 million in 2013, which was primarily caused by the transition from cropland and grassland to forest. The impacts of land-use changes on the specific ecosystem services are also tremendous. The presented results can be valuable for the government for future land-use planning activities.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Manzoor ◽  
Aisha Malik ◽  
Muhammad Zubair ◽  
Geoffrey Griffiths ◽  
Martin Lukac

Urban sprawl causes changes in land use and a decline in many ecosystem services. Understanding the spatial patterns of sprawl and exploration of citizens’ perception towards the sporadic urban expansion and its impacts on an ecosystem to deliver services can help to guide land use planning and the conservation of the urban ecosystem. Here, we spatially examined land use changes in Multan, Pakistan, and investigated public perception about urban sprawl and its impacts on the quality and provision of ecosystem services, using a survey instrument. The spatial analysis of the historical land cover of Multan indicated an exponential expansion of the city in the last decade. Large areas of natural vegetation and agricultural land were converted to urban settlements in the past two decades. The citizens of Multan believe that the quality and provision of ecosystem services have declined in the recent past and strongly correlate the deteriorating ecosystem services with urban sprawl. Education and income levels of the respondents are the strongest predictors of urban ecosystem health literacy. Citizens associated with laborious outdoor jobs are more sensitive to the changes in ecosystem services. We concluded that the rapidly expanding cities, especially in the tropical arid zones, need to be prioritized for an increase in vegetation cover, and economically vulnerable settlements in these cities should be emphasized in climate change mitigation campaigns.


Author(s):  
B. Quan ◽  
T. Guo ◽  
P. L. Liu ◽  
H. G. Ren

It has long recognized that there exists three different terrain belt in China, i.e. east, central, and west can have very different impacts on the land use changes. It is therefore better understand how spatiotemporal patterns linked with processes and instability of land use change are evolving in China across different regions. This paper compares trends of the similarities and differences to understand the spatiotemporal characteristics and the linked processes i.e. states, incidents and instability of land use change of 5 Chinese cities which are located in the nodes of The Silk Road in China. The results show that on the whole, the more land transfer times and the more land categories involved changes happens in Quanzhou City, one of eastern China than those in central and western China. Basically, cities in central and western China such as Changsha, Kunming and Urumuqi City become instable while eastern city like Quanzhou City turns to be stable over time.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12122
Author(s):  
Kaipeng Xu ◽  
Yanyan Chi ◽  
Rongfeng Ge ◽  
Xiahui Wang ◽  
Siyang Liu

Changes in local land use affect regional ecological services, development planning, and optimal use of space. We analyzed the effects of changes in land use from 2000 to 2025 on the spatial distribution of ecosystem services using CLUS-S modeling to evaluate ecosystem functions in Zhangjiakou, China. We found that the urban ecosystem area in Zhangjiakou increased and farmland decreased between 2000–2025. Water conservation was relatively high and was concentrated in the nature reserves of southern Zhangjiakou. Soil conservation was mainly distributed in eastern and southern counties. The results of the CLUE-S model showed that the relative operating characteristics of the six land use types were > 0.70, and the logistic regression equation was able to successfully explain the distribution pattern of the different types of land use.


2019 ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
Petr M. Mozias

China’s Belt and Road Initiative could be treated ambiguously. On the one hand, it is intended to transform the newly acquired economic potential of that country into its higher status in the world. China invites a lot of nations to build up gigantic transit corridors by joint efforts, and doing so it applies productively its capital and technologies. International transactions in RMB are also being expanded. But, on the other hand, the Belt and Road Initiative is also a necessity for China to cope with some evident problems of its current stage of development, such as industrial overcapacity, overdependence on imports of raw materials from a narrow circle of countries, and a subordinate status in global value chains. For Russia participation in the Belt and Road Initiative may be fruitful, since the very character of that project provides us with a space to manoeuvre. By now, Russian exports to China consist primarily of fuels and other commodities. More active industrial policy is needed to correct this situation . A flexible framework of the Belt and Road Initiative is more suitable for this objective to be achieved, rather than traditional forms of regional integration, such as a free trade zone.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (06) ◽  
pp. 20475-20182
Author(s):  
Ige Ayokunle O ◽  
Akingbesote A.O

The Belt and Road initiative is an important attempt by China to sustain its economic growth, by exploring new forms of international economic cooperation with new partners. Even though the B&R project is not the first attempt at international cooperation, it is considered as the best as it is open in nature and does not exclude interested countries. This review raised and answered three questions of how the B&R project will affect Nigeria’s economy?  How will it affect the relationship between Nigeria and China? What could go wrong?, The review concluded that Nigeria can only benefit positively from the project.


Author(s):  
Adnan Khalaf i Hammed Al-Badrani ◽  
Hind Ziyad Nafeih

The Belt and Road Initiative is an initiative to revive the ancient Silk Road, through networks of land and sea roads, oil and gas pipelines, electric power lines, the Internet and airports, to create a model of regional and international cooperation.       It is essentially a long-term development strategy, launched by the Chinese president in 2013 to become the main engine of Chinese domestic policy and foreign diplomacy and within the framework of the soft power strategy, to enhance its position and influence in the world as a peaceful and responsible country.   The study includes identifying the initiative and setting goals for China, as well as the challenges and difficulties that hinder the initiative.


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